HOLLYSHORTS, BLOG

Friday, August 17, 2012

Hollywood August 17, 2012--The 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (www.hollyshorts.com) wrapped last night with a standing room only awards ceremony at Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. The ceremony was hosted by Amy Paffrath, host of MTV’s Jersey Shore After Hours.
The HollyShorts Best Overall Short Film prize, which wins a $10,000 in post production and finishing services package from Company 3 went to "ASAD". Director Bryan Buckley was on hand to accept. The HollyShorts Best Director Award which wins a $10,000 post production and finishing services package from Company 3, went to Grainger David for his short film “The Chair.” Best Documentary Short went to Stephanie Butler's “Bo.” The Method Studios Best VFX Award went to “The Wheel” by John Roberts. The Best Student Short went to Terrence Heuston’s “Maddoggin,” while Igor Aleksov took home the Best International Short prize for “Episodizt.” Best Animation Short went to“Luminaris” byJuan Pablo Zaramella.
The 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival had the most attendance in the festival’s history. Highlights include an opening night ceremony at the history Chinese Theatre that drew nearly 1,000 attendees and fest screenings, panels and post receptions taking place in venues throughout Hollywood during the entire week. The organizers also announced last night that the festival will extend its dates next year from 7 days to 10 days. The 9thAnnual HollyShorts Film Festival will take place August 15-25, 2013. Submissions begin in December and filmmakers will vie for the festival’s top 2013 prize, two tickets to visit Weta Digital Studios in New Zealand to present their film courtesy of Starnow.
Each HollyShorts 2012 winner receives a 1st look distribution deal with the ShortsHD television channel.
Below please find the list of the announced HollyShorts 2012 Award winners.
• Jury Honorable mention: “92 Skybox Rookie Card”-Maury Steinman
• Jury honorable mention: “The Queen”- Adam Rose
• HollyShorts/NociCortinfestival Jury Award: “Oroverde”- Piereluigi Ferrandini!
• Best Actor-Robert Chester Smith for “The Hiccup”
• Best Actress - Grace Kaufman for “Buttons in the Ground”
• Best Animation -Luminaris-Juan Pablo Zaramella
• Best Cinematography - "Asternauts-Xiaosu Han, Andreas Thalhammer
• Best Comedy –Love and Germaphobia-Tyler Spindel
• Best Documentary-Bo-Dave Schwep & Kelly McCoy
• Best Editing-Sin Dolor-Joe Greco
• Best Horror Fearnet Award -Mo-Don-pae-mil-li (Modern Family)-Kwang Bin Kim
• Best International-Episodizt-Igor Aleksov
• Best Score - Tumbleweed-Edison Jarrin
• Best Narrative - Cherry Waves-Carey Williams
• Best Drama -Prora-Stephane Riethauser
• Best Female Director -Noeima-Elayne Blyth
• Best Producer “Atlantis”- Stephanie Scire
• Best Sci Fi -The End-Ted Marcus
• Best Student –Maddoggin-Terrence Heuston
• Best Action-The Crocodile - Steve Acevedo
• Best Web Series –Sitting Babies- Cameron Fay
• Showbiz Future Filmmaker Award -Sin Dolor-Joe Greco
• Best Commercial - True Power-Karel van Bellingen
• Best Music Video-Kindness Boomerang-Orly Wahba
• Method Studios Best VFX-The Wheel-John Roberts
• BEST DIRECTOR-“THE CHAIR”- Grainger David
• BEST SHORT FILM “ASAD”-Bryan Buckley
HollyShorts 2012 sponsors include: Company 3, Deluxe, Method Studios, Martini Crew Booking, Showbiz Software, , Final Draft, Adobe, Ikan, Shorts HD, Film Courage, SLS Hotel, WebTV Workshop, Eurochannel, Yelp, Fun Little Movies, Dreamhouse Theatre, FEARnet, StarNow, Fangoria, Script Pipeline, You, Me and Charlie, PopChips, Indie Printing, LightSpeed EPS, Moviola, Law Offices of Paul Battista, and Noci Cortinfestival.
About HollyShorts
HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from aroundthe globe. HollyShorts is devoted to the advancement filmmakers through screenings, Q&A sessions and networking events. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information please visitwww.hollyshorts.com.
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Contact
Dumont Marketing
(pr@dumontmarketing.com)

Friday, July 20, 2012

8th ANNUAL HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION AT GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD TO BE CO-HOSTED BY TELEVISION PERSONALITY CARLY STEEL OF EPIX NEWS AND TV GUIDE NETWORK
Los Angeles, CA – It has been announced that on-air personality Carly Steel (EPIX, TV Guide Network) will co-host the 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) opening night celebrations with EXTRA’s Ben Lyons, scheduled to take place on Thursday August 9th at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028) in Hollywood.
Steel continues to make a name for herself as one of the top television correspondents of her generation, hosting red carpet coverage and breaking news for EPIX, TV Guide Network, Dick Clark Productions, and also as contributor to Good Morning America and KTLA Morning News.
“I’m honored to be part of this prestigious film festival, and I’m very much looking forward to helping to showcase the work of these incredibly innovative and talented filmmakers. This is the new guard, the auteurs of the future, and it’s thrilling to be part of their break out moment at HollyShorts, which is such an amazing platform for them to make an impact on the film community. This year, hosting the opening night celebrations at the world-renowned Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is especially exciting, as it infuses the evening with a potent blend of old and new Hollywood,” says Steel.
Carly's movie coverage, commentary and celebrity interviews can be seen on “EPIX" and "EPIXHD.COM" as well as on "TV Guide Network”. Carly covers Film Festivals, Awards shows, and Movie Premieres around the world, in addition to hosting and presenting at major awards shows such as The Prism Awards and Young Hollywood Awards. Her acting work includes roles in the feature film "Unstoppable," opposite Denzel Washington, the CW's hidden camera series "H8R," and CBS's "The Bold and The Beautiful."
In addition to the over 320 short form content projects accepted in competition to screen at this year's fest, Joe Carnahan will receive the 2012 HollyShorts Visionary Award presented by Deluxe and will present the world premiere of his newly produced short film, The Devil's Dosh from director Zachary Guerra.
As previously announced, Zachary Quinto and his Before The Door Pictures will open the 2012 HSFF with a special theatrical world premiere of PERIODS (www.periodsfilms.com), an improvised comedy film series created by NY-based producers Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and their ensemble crew of filmmakers.
HollyShorts has also announced that Jason Bergh and Sal Masakela’s short documentary Alekesam which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival will also have its West Coast premiere at HollyShorts alongside Nathaniel Krause’s Double or Nothing written by Neil LaBute which stars Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David.
In addition the filmmakers and stars behind Lionsgate’s upcoming feature film Freelancers, which stars 50 Cent, Robert De Niro and Forrest Whitaker, will participate in a special Q&A panel during HollyShorts opening night. Advance tickets for the entire festival go live today and can be purchased by visiting Eventbrite.com or www.hollyshorts.com.
The brainchild of founders Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol, HSFF will feature a marquee opening night celebration. The weeklong event takes place August 9-16, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and will feature short film screenings from around the world, industry panels, and a whirlwind of exclusive receptions and parties. Twice named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," HSFF is devoted to helping advance the careers of filmmakers by providing exposure through top-notch screenings and networking events during the highly anticipated week-long festival each August. The Festival presents over $100,000 USD in prizes to winners, with Company 3 sponsoring awards of $10,000 in post-production and finishing services to both the Best Overall Short Film and Best Director award-winners, and $5,000 in post-production services to the Best Commercial and Best Music Video winners. Other top prizes include a $5,000 camera rental package courtesy of Martini Crew Booking for the Best Student award-winner, and $12,000 in services from Greenhouse Studios. Other HSFF sponsors include Deluxe, Method Studios, Showbiz Software, Festival Genius, IndiePix, Final Draft, Adobe, Film LA, Shorts HD, Film Courage, Film Festivals APP, and SLS Hotel.
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The Hollywood Reporter:
Penn Badgley Comedy Short to Premiere at HollyShorts Film Festival
9:44 PM PDT 7/19/2012 by Gregg Kilday
It will debut as a program of shorts under the title "PERIODS." that will be hosted by Zachary Quinto.
A new comedy short starring Penn Badgley will premiere as part of a group of short films that will screen as the opening night attraction at the 8th annual HollyShorts Film Festival that kicks off Aug. 9 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Presented under the umbrella title of PERIODS., the program of improvised comedy shorts, created by Victor Quinaz and Anna Martemucci, will also include several other new films, including one starring Willie Garson (White Collar) and another starring Grace Helbig (Attack the Show).
PHOTOS: Andy Samberg Bids 'SNL' Adieu, Leighton Meester Talks 'Gossip Girl' Season 6: The Best of the MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet
Zachary Quinto, who starred in an earlier series of the PERIODS. films called BEFORE AFTER and now executive produces the eries through his production company, Before the Door Pictures, will be on hand to host the HollyShorts opening night.
"It is always thrilling to support the work of friends and collaborators with whom I (and my company) expect to be in the business of telling stories for years to come,” he said. “I am enormously proud of Victor and Anna - and excited to celebrate this significant accomplishment with them in August.”
Of his own participation in one of their shorts, Badgley commented, "It's rare to find people you can work with effortlessly, and to end up with a piece of something original. These guys are doing something smart and subtle, but that's how the good shit starts...I think."
VIDEO: Zachary Quinto 'Deeply Moved' by 'Outpouring of Support' After Coming Out
Quinto and his team also recently wrapped PERIODS. Films' first feature film, which they produced alongside Anonymous Content. That film's title and premise have been being kept under wraps but will be unveiled during the opening night program when its first trailer is shown.
HollyShorts co-founders and co-directors Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol said of the opening night selection, "The PERIODS. crew exemplifies what modern indie filmmaking is really all about--- working together to create high quality content for global audiences while utilizing tangible digital tools and social media to promote and release the works to the masses."
Quinaz and Martemucci are both repped by Anonymous.

JOE CARNAHAN TO RECEIVE 2012 HOLLYSHORTS VISIONARY AWARD PRESENTED BY DELUXE AND WILL PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE ZACHARY GUERRA’S NEW SHORT FILM THE DEVIL’S DOSH

Jason Bergh and Sal Masakela’s Tribeca Film Fest short doc Alekesam Set for West Coast Premiere, Nathaniel Krause’s short Double or Nothing written by Neil LaBute starring Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David Set For LA Premiere at HollyShorts
Extra TV’s Ben Lyons and EPIX’s Carly Steel Set To Host Opening Night Festivities
Over 320 Short Form Content Projects Accepted in Competition To screen at Grauman’s Chinese Theatres August 9-16, 2012
Hollywood, July 16, 2012---On the heels of announcing that Zachary Quinto and his Before the Door Pictures banner (Margin Call) will be opening the 8th annual HollyShorts Film Festival (www.hollyshorts.com) with the premiere of the PERIODS. comedy film series, the festival’s organizers announced today that Joe Carnahan (The Grey, The A-Team, Smoking Aces) will be the recipient of the 2012 HollyShorts Visionary Award Presented by Deluxe during the HollyShorts opening night celebration taking place on Thursday August 9 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Along with accepting the award, Carnahan will introduce the world premiere of Zachary Guerra’s new short film The Devil's Dosh, which he executive produced. Past HollyShorts Visionary award recipients have included Paul Haggis, Eli Roth and Neil LaBute. The 8th annual HollyShorts opening night celebration will be hosted by Extra’s Ben Lyons and EPIX’s Carly Steel. The festival runs August 9-16, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatres in Hollywood.
HollyShorts is also announcing that Jason Bergh and Sal Masakela’s short documentary Alekesam which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival will also have its West Coast premiere at HollyShorts alongside Nathaniel Krause’s Double or Nothing written by Neil LaBute which stars Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David which will have its LA premiere on opening night. Advance tickets for the entire festival go live today and can be purchased by visiting Eventbrite.com (hollyshortsfilmfestival.eventbrite.com) or www.hollyshorts.com.
The festival is also unveiling today its official in-competition lineup, over 300 short films have been accepted to screen at this year’s festival. The preliminary schedule and accepted shorts can be viewed by visiting www.hollyshorts.com in the blog section. Additional accepted titles and full schedule will be announced in the coming days this week. Pooled from over 1,000 submissions, this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival will feature a slew of home grown content shot and produced in Los Angeles as well as a number of short films produced and shot internationally with projects representing Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Macedonia, Italy, Spain, Denmark, South Africa, Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Estonia, South Korea, New Zealand, Israel, the UK and Egypt. Filmmakers from these regions will be making the trip to Hollywood to meet with agents, managers, studios, networks and other fellow content creators to advance their careers.
• The Devil’s Dosh is a short film written and directed by Zachary Guerra. Joe Carnahan is Executive Producer and Brian O’Hare is Producer.
• Alekesam is a short documentary film from UXE Films Directed by Jason Bergh starring Selema “Sal” Masekela, Hugh Masekela, Stewart Levine, Sunny Levine, Zach Cowie and Jessie Lapierre. The film was produced by Michael Rapaport, Cole Angenendt and Jason Bergh.
• Double or Nothing is a short film Directed by Nathaniel Krause, Written by Neil LaBute and Produced by Andrew Carlberg and Josiah Bultema and stars Adam Brody, Louisa Krause and Keith David.
As previously announced, Zachary Quinto, and his Before The Door Pictures will open the 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) with a special theatrical world premiere of PERIODS. (www.periodsfilms.com), an improvised comedy film series created by NY-based producers Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and their ensemble crew of filmmakers.
The brainchild of founders Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol, HSFF will feature a marquee opening night celebration. The weeklong event takes placue August 9-16, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and will feature short film screenings from around the world, industry panels, and a whirlwind of exclusive receptions and parties. Twice named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," HSFF is devoted to helping advance the careers of filmmakers by providing exposure through top-notch screenings and networking events during the highly anticipated week-long festival each August. The Festival presents over $100,000 USD in prizes to winners, with Company 3 sponsoring awards of $10,000 in post-production and finishing services to both the Best Overall Short Film and Best Director award-winners, and $5,000 in post-production services to the Best Commercial and Best Music Video winners. Other top prizes include a $5,000 camera rental package courtesy of Martini Crew Booking for the Best Student award-winner, and $12,000 in services from Greenhouse Studios. Other HSFF sponsors include Deluxe, Method Studios, Showbiz Software, Festival Genius, IndiePix, Final Draft, Adobe, Film LA, Ikan, Shorts HD, Film Courage, Film Festivals APP, SLS Hotel, Constellation, WebTV Workshop, Eurochannel, Yelp, Fun Little Movies, FEARnet, StarNow, Fangoria, Script Pipeline, PopChips, LightSpeed EPS, Moviola, Law Offices of Paul Battista, and Noci Cortinfestival.
About HollyShorts
HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from aroundthe globe. HollyShorts is devoted to the advancement filmmakers through screenings, Q&A sessions and networking events. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information please visit www.hollyshorts.com.
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Contact
Theo Dumont
Dumont Marketing
424-228-2114
(theo@dumontmarketing.com)

ZACHARY QUINTO AND BEFORE THE DOOR PICTURES TO OPEN 8TH ANNUAL HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL WITH WORLD THEATRICAL PREMIERE OF PERIODS. FILMS, ACCLAIMED CULT COMEDY SERIES
Quinto and PERIODS. Films Creators Victor Quinaz and Anna Martemucci Set To Unleash Exclusive Comedy Content During HollyShorts Opening Night Celebration Thursday August 9, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
Hollywood, June 28, 2012---The organizers of Hollyshorts (www.hollyshorts.com) announced today that Zachary Quinto and his Before The Door Pictures (“Margin Call”) banner (www.beforethedoor.com) will open the 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) with a special theatrical world premiere of PERIODS. (www.periodsfilms.com), an improvised comedy film series created by NY-based filmmakers Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and their ensemble crew.
The showcase of the PERIODS. shorts will be held during the HollyShorts opening night celebration which takes place on Thursday August 9, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood with Quinto hosting the PERIODS. Films program that will f

eature a variety of special guests and a Q&A with the filmmakers. Advance tickets go on sale today and are available via www.hollyshorts.com and Eventbrite at: http://hsff8thannualopeningnight.eventbrite.com.
The PERIODS. shorts have cultivated a cult-like online and social media following since their inception two years ago and have recently wrapped their first feature film with Anonymous Content and Before The Door producing. The PERIODS. shorts have been described as “anachronistic period pieces with costumes that a show choir would die for.” PERIODS. is a co-production with Robinson Films, Inc., Nomadic Films, and Before The Door Pictures. Before The Door is run by Quinto, Neal Dodson, Corey Moosa, and Sean Akers.
To celebrate the announcement, PERIODS. is re-releasing today one of their most popular shorts BEFORE AFTER With Zachary Quinto. To view BEFORE AFTER, visit: http://youtu.be/7ljibXY_ka8.
Commented HollyShorts co-founders and co-directors Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol on the announcement: “The PERIODS. crew exemplifies what modern indie filmmaking is really all about--- working together to create high quality content for global audiences while utilizing tangible digital tools and social media to promote and release the works to the masses. We can’t wait for the showcase during the 8th Annual HollyShorts opening night celebration at the Chinese Theatre. We’d like to thank Zachary Quinto, Neal Dodson, Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and the rest of the PERIODS. crew for making this happen.”
"It is always thrilling to support the work of friends and collaborators with whom I (and my company) expect to be in the business of telling stories for years to come,” says Quinto. “I am enormously proud of Victor and Anna - and excited to celebrate this significant accomplishment with them in August."
“Theo, Daniel, and everyone at HollyShorts have made a dream come true for us,” says Victor Quinaz. “Our film series lives online and is watched on iPhones but was always intended to be seen on the biggest screen available. It’s not IMAX, but it’ll have to do.”
“In all seriousness,” Anna Martemucci further commented, “We have something very special planned with a few surprise guests. And what’s better, if you can’t make it that night we’re releasing the new films online that evening so no one is left out.”
The popular PERIODS. shorts have amassed a cult-like following online. The shorts series include such popular titles as The Masterworks: Vol. 1 which includes: PILGRIMS, EDITH WHARTON’S, ETHAN FROME, FOREFATHERS, HAGS, BEFORE AFTER, BEFORE AFTER II; and Vol. 2 which includes: NAM, DEC. 26, VIKING WIVES, and RE: CREATION.
The brainchild of founders Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol, HSFF will feature a marquee opening night celebration. The weeklong event takes place August 9-16, 2012 at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and will feature short film screenings from around the world, industry panels, and a whirlwind of exclusive receptions and parties. Twice named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," HSFF is devoted to helping advance the careers of filmmakers by providing exposure through top-notch screenings and networking events during the highly anticipated week-long festival each August. The 2011 edition of HSFF showcased over 350 projects including web series, music videos, commercials, and an impressive slate of animated, documentary, student, and short films of all genres. The Festival presents over $75,000 USD in prizes to winners, with Company 3 sponsoring awards of $10,000 in post-production and finishing services to both the Best Overall Short Film and Best Director award-winners, and $5,000 in post-production services to the Best Commercial and Best Music Video winners. Other top prizes include a $5,000 camera rental package courtesy of Martini Crew Booking for the Best Student award-winner, and $5,000 in services from Greenhouse Studios. Other HSFF sponsors include Method Studios, Showbiz Software, Festival Genius, IndiePix, Final Draft, Adobe, Film LA, Shorts HD, Film Courage, Film Festivals APP, and SLS Hotel.
HSFF winners are automatically eligible to be screened at some of the top film festivals in the world; HollyShorts Global Festival Content Partners include NociCortinfestival, Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece, Soho Shorts in the UK, and Cinema Tous Ecran in Switzerland. The full festival lineup of accepted films will be announced early July.
About HollyShorts
HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from aroundthe globe. HollyShorts is devoted to the advancement filmmakers through screenings, Q&A sessions and networking events. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information please visit www.hollyshorts.com.
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Monday, September 26, 2011

Kim Ryan Producer'Desire' premiered in the Music video block at 2011 Hollyshorts Film Festival

Interview by Jasmina Nevada

-Would you like to tell me more about your video ?

Its sort of a long form music video/short film/ musical It was created to go along with the 1st 4 songs on the album of the artist J Natural. Her new album is called love is on hiatus and so we made this short to go along with her album. It is a story sort of a love triangle kind of timeless very dramatic piece

-From the outset did you particularly want to make it a music video rather than a short film?

Yeah, actually she came up with the concept. Her album was finished, she was overseas, in her hotel room one night and came up with the story and when she got back she asked me to help her produce it. So it definitely was created to go along with those 4 songs

-The concept that is now the finished product did it meet your expectations?

Yes it did definitely. it was sort of a first for all of us as far as Eric Heights Director he had done a lot of music videos but this was the first time he had ever done anything that long it was actually 28 minutes long and Janelle and I did all the pre production and that was really a first for both of us too so we definitely learned a lot along the way and we were all really happy with the way it turned out

-What was the message you were trying to put across to your audience?

Kinda about doing something different and involving the music. Actually apart from the 4 songs off her album we had someone compose the music for the rest of it so it was really heavily about music and sort of tying that in with film.

-In view of the fact it wasn't the traditional short film or music video per se .. how long did it take you to finish it?

We did about a month of pre-production we shot it all in 4 days and then it was about 6 months of post production it was definitely our most challenging.

-So have you enjoyed the Hollyshorts film festival?Of course this is probably the 3rd or 4th year that I have been back actually. This year is the first that I had something entered in the festival. The festival gets bigger and better every year and I have seen some really great films...

-Would you like to tell me a little bit about the role of 'Byron'? (at Dominic Comperatore )

He is the only 'white' guy in the film and I have been playing white guys all my life.....

-I guess it is a bit of a 'Steve Martin' thing going on here?

Yeah, I was uniquely qualified for the job. So they called in all the white guys and I think that I was the whitest! I was pale and I stayed out of the sun for a couple of weeks whilst I was shooting ..I am a dedicated sort...

-Please outline briefly the movie?

(Shaqwan Lewis,). It's about circumstances and karma. Cisco Reyes plays a character named Dee who is not thinking about his actions or anything thereof and some things come up that he has to deal with and that is the basis of the movie.

-I am curious to know where did this concept arise from? Where did you get this idea to make this movie?

It actually came from a song the original version was a song I used to play it for my friends. I would play it and stop at about one minute and a half into the song and everytime without fail they would want to hear the end of the song. From that point on I started thinking that it might be something special and we developed it into a short film.

-How long did it take you from the initial concept to the finished product?

About 5 years, when I wrote the song there was no such thing as get your own camera and film your own movie. Technology hadn't caught up to us yet. There were no red cameras or DSLR

-Were you waiting for this development in technology to nail down your idea?

No, I thought I could buy a camera and shoot this myself even though I didn't, it worked out that way

-Which format did you shoot in?

DSLR'S 5D 7D's

-Do you think that the final product met your expectations?

Exceeded it..

-What message were you trying to bring to your audience?

That you can't control everything and be careful how you treat people as you never know those feet you step in might be attached to the 'ass' you have to kiss later on in life

-Most definitely and I think that is a lesson to everyone...

-How long is your short?

15 minutes around 14.46 minutes..

-How have you enjoyed the festival?

I have been here a few days and have seen some amazing films so we are definitely up against some good films but I think we have a good chance.....

-I am extremely curious to find out from you both – why such a stark title 'The Rape Kit'?

It puts people on a back foot a little bit, it's a dark comedy actually. It puts people on one track and then they have to come to the comedy from an alternate direction.

-Would you like to outline your short film?

It's about a guy who has this horrible idea that he is going to rape his ex-wife for revenge. He buys this mask but he can't fit his glasses over the mask and so he ends up getting the wrong girl, because he has bad vision. He gets locked in this room in the basement with this girl who he just raped... and then he finds out that it is not the girl he thought it was. The movie is basically about this conversation between these 2 people in this confined space. They are both locked in this space for the whole night. To take a situation like that's so horrible and to find a way to bring humor to it was what really interested me in writing it. It's twisted but it does get funny

-So what you are saying is that you took an extremely devastating situation and tried to cast a positive light on to it?

No, it's not a positive light at all.... it just keeps getting worse. You can find humor in how badly it goes for these characters. It's definitely darkly comedic.

-Where did you get the idea to write such a story?

I like the idea of 2 people being confined and one of them has just done the worst thing he has ever done in his life. He is forced to sit across from the person whom he has just harmed. That in itself is such a charged moment and what sort of conversation would come about with that. That's what intrigued me. The way the girl takes it is unusual, she is a strange girl.

-This strange and unusual situation did it provide challenges during shooting? Did you change a lot of the original script to what actually happened whilst you were shooting it?

I tried not to, only a little bit. We lost some elements by making it shorter to keep it tighter. There were some changes and I tried not to do any improvisation. I personally, don't like that. In a script that's so specific as this one is if you get offline it could just go bad. It was written very precisely and its such a delicate situation that if you go off in different directions it could go really bad …..

-So in summary you keep everything precise and to the point?

Yes, that was the intent

-How long is the short?

Thirteen and a half minutes

Did you cut it down a lot to get to this time?

Originally it was 20 minutes, but at first pass I was not heading for length, I was just trying to get everyone’s best stuff together.

-In view of the delicate topic of the short film, how did you arrive at an appropriate theme score that would suit the elements of this particular short film? and obviously still maintain the message that you wished to convey via the musical score? (at Jason Barber- musical score composer)

Yeah, the subject matter, or should I say, the films title conjured up a lot of emotional responses at first. The great thing about working with Bryan is that he's so open to ideas, and was completely trusting from the minute we sat down about the music. We both wanted the music to play an almost transparent role, which is something I strive for anyway. We worked closely together in my studio along with Brad, and I wound up composing about 3 or 4 cues that developed out of a set of sounds, I designed using some 'ErHu' or 'Chinese Fiddle' recordings I'd made several years ago. Ultimately I arrived at at balance between musical tone and color that blended almost invisibly into the films sound bed. The only real exception to this is where Tommy's character attempts to explain his motivation for committing his crime. We really wanted to bring out the sappy, almost pathetic attempt of the character explaining something so horrible. So we went with a very short, soft piano and violin motif. It's a very funny touch. Bryan was wise to play this up. The audience reaction has been overwhelmingly spot on with Bryan's intention. It's the point in the film where the audience really seems to "get" how satirical the story really is. After the cues were finished we worked hard to arrive at a balance between music, sound design and dialogue that would allow the characters room to stand out. I think we did a very nice job.

-What's next in the pipeline for you both?

I have a feature script that I wrote called 'The Charm' that Jason Barber is going to produce and we are out taking meetings on it on this trip and taking the opportunity to talk to people about it. We are starting to gather different ideas we have for talent to start the casting.

My boyfriend and I are the only 2 people in this movie. It's a little action comedy and it may be based on true events...

-And the true events being?..

I made seven layer dip one day and he scooped off the entire top layer of cheese and I got a little upset. I said 'why wouldn't you eat the rest of it? Your dip etiquette is horrible! I made 7 layers and you only ate 1, it doesn't make any sense?'... He said 'why does it matter how we eat it?' and then we started laughing about it. It was this man versus woman moment in time and I thought it would be funny to re-create that in a 3 and half minute video,including a massive fight.

-What were you expecting from your audiences with this?

I don't know what I was expecting. I was hoping people would laugh and just enjoy themselves. It's short, when we made it we never intended it to go to film festivals. We put it online and got such a huge response from it. So we went back and re-edited a lot of stuff for sound. It has been in a bunch of festivals and this has been the only one that I have actually been able to go to, so it has been really exciting....

-So this true event that has been re-created for screen how long did it take to get it festival ready?

A day of shooting and then a day of editing for the first pass at it and then we spent about 2 days re-shooting a couple of things and doing some ADR to make it festival ready.

-What format did you shoot in?

Little Sony HD Handy Cams. It was just the 2 of us and so we shot each others coverage. We just got really creative. We bought ropes and pulleys and strung a line up in between 2 trees. We had our camera on a zip line, we had a string attached to it puling it up and really tried to find inventive angles and tricks to make it just the 2 of us completely. It was challenging but fun...

-Inside information tells me that you are also a stunt woman! Would you like to tell us a little bit about that? And how did you get into that?

I have no idea... I was modelling in Toronto and doing a runway show on a TV show called Femme Nikita at the time and I saw this girl she rolled down some stairs, shot a gun and kicked some guy in the face and I thought that makes so much more sense... like a lot of fun so I started taking acting classes and taking martial arts I am really tall so I think that maybe they needed someone like me..

-Are you pretty athletic, gymnastics as well?

I did when I was shorter..when I was little and when my legs started dragging over the parallel bars I had to stop. I did diving and have been riding horses my whole life, also track and field.

San Hargrave my boyfriend and partner who made this short with me is also a very well known stunt man and we were actually working on a movie at the time doubling 'Nicole Kidman'. He was the Assistant stunt coordinator and that's when we made seven layer dip. It was on our day off, in Shrevport, Lousiana

-So what is next for you?

We have a couple of scripts that we are working on. We have another project that we would love to do, another little short film just the 2 of us. We are gong to step it up a little bit 4 characters and 2 people. It will be difficult but really cool and then looking forward to a couple of movies that I worked on last year. Also just writing and thinking about new projects.

-Its sounds very creative! And I wish you the best with everything and hope you enjoyed the festival..

It has been a blast!

Links

Monique Ganderton

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1244650/

Sam Hargravehttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1092087/ Thank you for your time

Sunday, September 04, 2011

The following films premiered at the 2011 Hollyshorts Film Festival -
“Fit to be Tied” by Alex Feldman.
“Trixie” by Dave Kebo. Alex Feldman Lead Actor
"The Ally” by Slobodan Gajic-USA put together by Alex Feldman's Company

Interview by Jasmina Nevada

We are very happy to return to the Hollyshorts Film Festival, we have been here for the past three years. We originally came here with a series called 'Floored and Lifted'

Website link http://flooredandlifted.com/

Hollyshorts has supported us very much and we are excited to return for the 3rd year running.

-I note that you have 3 films entered into the film festival,could you give me a quick breakdown of each one?

“Fit to be Tied”
Website link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt197265

I directed this film – It is an offbeat modern day fairytale that centers around a girl who ties people's shoelaces for a living. Its a 'coming of age story' about a young female entrepreneur who is trying to get a business going, the obstacles she faces along the way and the support that she gains from her piers in her town. We really tried to maintain a traditional storytelling point of view of fairy-tales in there...

-Where did the concept for “Fit to be Tied” come from and how long is the short?

It's 14mins long. The writer is a genius named Tim Tori with whom we have worked together on 7 or 8 different projects. The first time we worked together was a project that he wrote and I acted in 'One Believes'. Since then we have gone on to really relate to the language that he writes, the tone that he says, the themes that are important to him. We have really have discovered that I have a good ability to take his tone and translate it to a visual medium and I think that we are a strong team together. We can have him come up with very creative dialogue that I can then translate to images. We have had success with it in the past with the web series, this seemed like a logical next step to take. We also got some budget from Jordana Berliner, who funded the whole situation and she was also the lead actress in the film.

-So you were able to give something back to her in return?

Absolutely. Yes It was really a labor of love with the whole crew.

-Could you tell me about your 2nd entry into the Festival?

"Trixie" – also known as Trixies Last Case which was a 2 story of 2 detectives that are trying to solve a crime,

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1965255/
-This being a total opposite to the first film?

Yes, it focuses on the answer to the current 1 hour dramas the CSI's etc.. in Los Angeles. I as an actor I have been in every CSI type drama and I really wanted to be present something that builds upon that... but also creates a new avenue and an ability for a new audience to relate. So we created this scene and it was shot over one day only in my friend Keenan Henson's apartment. We made it look like a wonderful interrogation room. David Kebo who is a very creative and very capable Director,he put all that together. We shot the scene and its all about these detectives that are trying to crack a case with the help of a canine helper named Trixie. Honestly we shot this in true independent film making style over several hours and got it all done and that is a testament to what independent film makers can do in a short period of time.

-Yes, one could say that, that is the beauty of the short film to be able to put it together in a short period of time as opposed to a feature movie?

Right

-With regards to your 3rd short film entry into the Festival?

3rd film is called "The Ally” by Slobodan Gajic-

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1886695/

Keenan Henson who is a close associate of mine, he is the lead actor in the film. The film is directed by Slobadan Gajic who is a very, very intelligent film maker. This is a period piece and a departure from stuff that we have done in the past.

-In my estimation you enjoy a lot of contrasts, rather than staying in one genre?

Yes, my Production Company has diversified as much as possible and this particular project is something we are trying to do that is a little different Slobadan Gajic has come on to write and direct this project. This is a period piece that takes place in Eastern Europe during World War 2 and it is a relationship between an American solider and her Eastern European child who find a way to help each other out during a very immense conflict. I think that it is a fascinating study of human behavior and I think that audiences will be very intrigued by this film so I recommend that you check out The Ally
-I certainly shall and recommend it to the wider audience...

-What are you expectations in total for the 3 films? What are you hoping that they perceive and that they get from all 3 of your short film entries into this film festival?

I have not necessarily put the pressure upon the audience to perceive something or come over with a message. I'm curious to see what their responses will be but our company is putting together a couple of different feature films at the moment. I am hoping that the different variety of films that we are presenting is going to build confidence within the audiences, that we are capable of presenting a very solid product and the features that we have coming out should reflect that.. you guys should look for a comedic feature called 'All in'

-Are you saying that you want to provide films that have that wow factor, are different and provides a curiosity as to what the company may do next – to maintain an interest, by not staying with the same genre and material....because you are presenting this in a totally different way and diversifying you are hoping that you audience will see that?

Yes absolutely, we are a group of very talented and a conglomerate of people. The best way I think that we can benefit for ourselves by creating a product for the consumer that is continiously creative and diverse productions

-Especially in today's world...

Anyone who is interested in our projects can always look us up on my personal website which is

http://alexfeldman.info/

We try to create opportunity for new film makers.

I have a brand new Acting Studio here in LA which is called the Acting Studios of Beverly Hills

Website link http://www.actingstudiosbeverlyhills.com/

and that is something I am focusing a lot on at the moment and we welcome anyone who has a desire to get into the entertainment industry but does not necessarily know how.

Come to Acting Studios of Beverly Hills and we will hook it up

-Thank you very much for your interview about your 3 films you have provided a very detailed insight into your films and current and ongoing projects. For those just starting out artistically in acting etc I think you have given them hope and inspiration.....